The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them where foolish and five of them were wise.

The foolish virgins took lamps without oil in them. The wise virgins took plenty of oil.

While the bridegroom delayed his coming all the virgins nodded off and went to sleep.

At midnight the cry went out in the land:

Look the bridegroom! Come out and meet him.

All the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish virgins said to the wise:

Give us your oil, our lamps are going out.

The wise virgins responded:

But then there may not be enough for us; go and buy some more oil for yourselves.

While the foolish virgins were out trying to find oil, the bridegroom came and the wedding party entered the house and the doors were shut and locked.

After a little time, the five foolish virgins arrived and knocked on the door:

Lord, Lord open to us.

But the Lord answered and said:

The truth is that I do not know you.

Be watchful because you do not know the day or the hour of your Lord’s coming.

It is like when a man goes to another country, but before he goes he calls his servants together and gives them talents, one five, another two and yet another one, in order to invest and make a profit while he is gone.

The one given five talents, traded and made five more talents.

The one given two talents, traded and made two more.

But the one given one talent hid the Lord's money in the earth.

Then one day the Lord returned and called his three servants together for a reckoning with them.

He received back the five talents and then another five from the first servant:

Well done you good and faithful servant, You have been faithful with a little now I will put you in charge of a lot. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

He received back the two talents and then another two from the second servant:

Well done you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, now I will put you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

He then received back the one talent from the third servant, but no more. The third servant said:

I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter.

I was afraid and so I went and hid the talent in the ground.

The Lord answered:

You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reaped where I did not sow and gathered where I had not scattered, you should have put the talent into the bank to make interest.

Take this wicked servant away and give what he had to the first servant who was has the ten talents.

For the one who has will be given more and he will have an abundance.

But the one who does not have, even the little he has will be taken away.

He cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on the throne of glory and gather the nations before him.

He will separate them one from another, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the sheep on one side and the goats on the other side.

Then the King will say to the ones on his right side:

Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the beginning of the world.

I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
I was a stranger and you took me in.
I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you visited me.
I was in prison, and you came to me.

Then the righteous will answer him, saying:

Lord, when were you hungry and we fed you?
Or thirsty and we gave you drink?
When did we see you as a stranger and take you in?
Or naked and cloth you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?

The King answered:

Here is a truth that you really need to understand, As you did it to the least of my brothers, you did it to me.

Then the King will say to the ones on his left hand:

Depart from me, you cursed ones, enter into the fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.
I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in.
I was naked and you didn’t cloth me.
I was sick and you didn’t visit me.
I was in prison, and you didn’t come to me.

Here is a truth that you tragically missed. As you didn’t do it to the least of my brothers, you didn’t do it to me.

The wicked will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous will go into eternal life.

Copyright 2004, Bible Heritage Foundation, Inc.
Permission to use all or part of the written "Story of Jesus" will
be granted upon request to all those who love the Saviour.